Chinese Slapped Cucumber

I am back from China! We had an amazing time, but traveling is so exhausting and over the course of our 2 week trip, we were in 4 different cities and on 6 different planes. Whew! Believe it or not, this was one of our very favorite dishes our tour guide searched out for us. I definitely cannot pronounce nor write the name in Mandarin, but it literally translates to slapped cucumber.

Thai Peanut Sauce Noodles with Veggies and Chicken

I don't know why I have waited so long to make this recipe. It is SO freaking good. I guess I thought that using spaghetti for anything other than Italian style recipes was kind of sacrilegious, but that was just crazy talk. I am hereby a complete convert in using semolina/durum flour pastas for everything... you know, because I really needed another excuse to eat more carbs. NOT. 

Crock Pot Pork Carnitas with a Copy Cat Chipotle Corn Salsa

First off, who gets colds in May? Seriously, like the connotation of the word "cold" would lead one to believe that they can actually happen any time and have absolutely nothing to do with the weather actually being cold, or the victim of said virus being cold, or having wet hair while going outside when it's cold, or really anything at all dealing with any definition of the word cold. Except when you can't breathe and you wish it were blustery and cold and windy so your sinuses would actually open up so when you speak your consonants don't all end with "d."

Back to Basics : Chicken Fried Rice

Happy Chinese New Year! Are you a snake? I don't mean that as an insult, I mean that as your birth year- 2013 is the year of the snake. I wasn't trying to imply that you're manipulative or sly... I assume that since you're here sharing in my kitchen adventures you're nothing less than marvelous!

Chicken Lettuce Cups

It's been so long since I've actually been to a P.F. Changs I can't really remember what their famous appetizer tastes like. But if my faint memory serves me right, this is pretty darn close. Even if my mind is playing tricks on me and I am completely off my rocker, which- let's be honest here- is completely possible probable, they're still so good that I don't even care how close they are to the real thing and might even write to the president of P.F. Changs and ask him/her to change their recipe. 'Cause these are rockin'.

Cashew Chicken

Well people I am back to the land of the living zombies.... aka night shift. Some of my co-workers actually enjoy and prefer night shift, and I say- more power to you, you crazy people. I don't know how they function long term on nights, because I feel awful, exhausted and blah the entire 6 weeks we rotate through vampire land.